Eden Hazard turned down £50m Saudi offer before announcing retirement, confirms former Chelsea teammate

Eden Hazard last played for Real Madrid before announcing retirement

Before deciding to retire, Eden Hazard turned down a £50 million offer to play in Saudi Arabia, according to Mikel John Obi, a former colleague at Chelsea.

The 32-year-old retired from football last month, capping an illustrious career that included championships with Chelsea, Lille, and Real Madrid.

Hazard had a lot of injuries during his tenure in the Spanish capital, but he is still a fan favourite at Stamford Bridge and has received offers to carry on with his career.

In the words of Mikel, the curiosity originated from Saudi Arabia, where contracts worth £1 million a week were up for grabs. But he made the decision to give up the game and concentrate on raising his family.

Talking on Rio Ferdinand's YouTube programme Vibe with Five, the Nigerian recalled discussing Hazard's future in an interview.

Says Mikel:

"[Hazard asked,] 'Should I go to Saudi Arabia, where I’m going to take a million a week... and then what? I got about two or three offers to go to Saudi Arabia.

"He said, 'Mikel, I’ve got a lot of money. You know how I live my life. I don’t spend too much money. So, I have money now to live with my family and to bring up [my children]'.'"

Hazard, who is married to Natacha and has several children together, has won two titles in each of the Premier League and La Liga in addition to the Champions League.

Mikel concurs with the assumption that he didn't put much effort into Chelsea training, despite the fact that most of the conversation following his retirement focused on his unrealized potential as one of the greatest players of his generation.

The 36-year-old noted: "He achieved all that he achieved without putting in effort, imagine if he did.

This guy comes to training and he doesn't tie his boots up, he just stands there with his hands in his pants."